PERCY PARK 20 – 0 ILKLEY
In one of only two games to survive the weather in league North 1 East, Park ran out winners against a tenacious Ilkley who never stopped competing throughout, despite spending a good deal of the game with only 14 players on the pitch.
For the first quarter of an hour it was fairly obvious that neither side had be able to play any rugby for the last month due to the snow and sub zero temperatures which have swept the whole country. Park broke the deadlock with a Thomas Turnbull try and from then on in always looked likely winners.
Ilkley had the first chance to open the scoring after only 3 minutes but Peter Shanks missed with a penalty kick at goal, he then had a second chance, moments later but again his kick was wide of the mark, then Rutter missed a penalty opportunity for Park.
The first score of the game came on the quarter hour when quick ball was spun out from Rutter standing in at 10, and the pass to Smith then Shaw put Turnbull in space down the right wing, who only just put the ball down in the nick of time before the perimeter fence. Rutter couldn’t convert the difficult kick from the corner.
Referee Andy Rawson from the Manchester and Districts Rugby Referees Society lost patience with the visitors persistent offending and sent veteran flanker Charlie Cudworth to the bin, then as he was returning to the field of play fellow back rower Hamish Pratt was given 10 minutes for slowing down Park possession on the stroke of half time.
In the second half Ash Smith stretched Park’s lead with a try after throwing a dummy and using his pace to go through a gap in the defence. Rutter converted and Park now led 12 – 0.
Although no one could doubt the Ilkley determination, as their tackle count would prove, they rarely threatened the Park half. On 56 minutes Percy Park had a line out inside the Ilkley 22, and from the catch and drive, prop Chris Reekie scored in the left hand corner to take the sore to 15 – 0.
Park repeated the same move some time later but failed to score when the ball was knocked on over the line. Rutter took the Park lead to twenty points with a penalty on 77 minutes which is how the score ended.
Ilkley’s only really scoring chance came when a poor Park clearance kick found the Ilkley skipper Stu Vincent on the half way line. He chipped the defence and appeared to get the touch down in a race for the line with Rutter, but with no TMO and the referee unsighted the try was disallowed and a 22 drop out was awarded to Park.
Ilkley to their credit kept trying right to the final whistle, although fly half Cad Shepherd was ordered to the bin before the end of the game for back chat to the ref after trying to take a quick line out on the visitor’s 5 metre line.
Park travel to Mitford Road to play Morpeth on Saturday 23rd January and will be hoping to emulate the fine performance which saw them win 23 – 10 earlier in the season.